(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display and a TFT panel applied thereto. More particularly, the present invention relates to a vertically-aligned liquid crystal display and a TFT panel applied thereto, the liquid crystal display having pixel electrodes on which there are formed an aperture pattern and protrusions.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) typically include a first substrate on which are formed common electrodes and a color filter, and a second substrate on which are formed thin film transistors (TFTs) and pixel electrodes. The first and second substrates are provided substantially in parallel with a predetermined gap therebetween. Liquid crystal material is injected between the two opposing substrates. An electric field is formed between the substrates by applying different voltages to the pixel electrodes and common electrodes. Accordingly, the alignment of liquid crystal molecules changes, controlling the transmittance of incident light.
In such conventional LCDs, a limited viewing angle is a serious drawback. Among the different methods of providing a wider viewing angle, an increasingly common method is that of aligning the liquid crystal molecules vertically to the two substrates and forming an aperture pattern in the pixel electrodes and the common electrodes. The aperture patterns in the pixel electrodes and common electrodes formed respectively on the second substrate and first substrate generate a fringe field. The fringe field is used to control the alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules in order to increase the viewing angle.
However, such a configuration makes it more complicated to manufacture the LCD, since the common electrodes formed on the color filter and made of ITO (indium tin oxide), need to be patterned using a photolithography process. Also, because the adhesion between the ITO, which is deposited on the color filter by a sputtering process, and a color filter resin is not strong, the photolithography process cannot be performed precisely on the common electrodes.
In addition, when etching the ITO, the color filter becomes exposed and may be damaged. To prevent this problem, an organic insulation layer (overcoat layer) must be coated on the color filter. Putting this overcoat layer is expensive. Further, with the formation of the overcoat layer, since the common electrodes do not directly contact a black matrix (made of chrome), the increased resistance increases the chance of a flicker defect. Finally, a resistance of the common electrodes is increased by forming an aperture pattern in the common electrodes.
The present invention has been made in an effort to solve the above problems.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple method for manufacturing a wide viewing angle liquid crystal display and a TFT panel applied thereto.
To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a thin film transistor panel comprising an insulation panel; gate wiring formed on the insulation panel; data wiring insulated from and intersecting the gate wiring; a switching element connected to the gate wiring and the data wiring, the switching element transmitting or cutting off signals of the data wiring according to signals of the gate wiring; and a pixel electrode connected to the switching element to receive the transmitted signals of the data wiring, the pixel electrode having an opening pattern, wherein the opening pattern of the pixel electrode includes a plurality of openings, each opening making a predetermined angle with an adjacent opening.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a thin film transistor panel applied to a liquid crystal display comprising an insulation panel; gate wiring formed on the insulation panel; data wiring insulated from and intersecting the gate wiring; a switching element connected to the gate wiring and the data wiring, the switching element transmitting or cutting off signals of the data wiring according to signals of the gate wiring; and a pixel electrode connected to the switching element to receive the transmitted signals of the data wiring, the pixel electrode having an opening pattern, wherein the opening pattern of the pixel electrode includes a plurality of openings, each opening being splayed.
In yet another aspect, the present invention provides a thin film transistor panel applied to a liquid crystal display comprising an insulation panel; gate wiring formed on the insulation panel; data wiring insulated from the gate wiring and intersecting the gate wiring; a switching element connected to the gate wiring and the data wiring, the switching element transmitting or cutting off signals of the data wiring according to signals of the gate wiring; and a pixel electrode connected to the switching element to receive the transmitted signals of the data wiring, the pixel electrode having an opening pattern, wherein the opening pattern of the pixel electrode includes a plurality of openings, a distance of adjacent openings being different at ends of the openings.
According to a feature of the present invention, if a length of the pixel electrode is divided in half, an average direction of the openings formed on the pixel electrode on one half of the pixel electrode is from 80xc2x0 to 100xc2x0 to an average direction of the openings on the other half of the pixel electrode.
According to another feature of the present invention, the TFT panel further comprises storage electrode wiring having branch electrodes formed substantially corresponding to the openings.
According to yet another feature of the present invention, a width of the branch electrodes of the storage electrode wiring is between 2 and 10 xcexcm.
According to still yet another feature of the present invention, a width of the openings is between 3 and 10 xcexcm.
According to still yet another feature of the present invention, a width of the openings is between 10 and 20 xcexcm.
According to still yet another feature of the present invention, an angle between two adjacent openings is between 5xc2x0 and 40xc2x0.
The present invention also provides a liquid crystal display comprising a thin film transistor panel as described above; an opposing panel provided at a predetermined distance from the thin film transistor panel; a color filter formed on the opposing panel; a black matrix formed on the opposing panel; a common electrode formed over the color filter and the black matrix; liquid crystal material injected between the thin film transistor panel and the opposing panel; and first and second polarizing films respectively provided on the thin film transistor panel and the opposing panel.
According to a feature of the present invention, a polarizing direction of the first and second polarizing films is either perpendicular or parallel to an average direction of the openings of the pixel electrode.